Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Guest Post from Lauren at The Semi-Designed Life



Ohhhh Readers, do I have a special treat for you today!
Lauren is my BFF and the writer of the FABULOUS blog, The Semi Designed Life.
Since I'm constantly dream designing rooms for friends, who better to design a room for me than the person who knows my taste and style the very best?

I must say, I am LOVING her ideas and the dream life she's
 made for me.
Enjoy!



Greetings readers of Mackenzie Pages! I am Lauren and the author of The Semi-Designed Life and will be tempting your eyeballs today with a room I’ve designed for our mutually favorite designerista, Mackenzie.


Circa 2005. Yes, we had matching sunglasses and I had awful taste in earrings apparently.



I have known and loved Ms. Mackenzie for many moons. From playing soccer together in middle school (she thought I was super obnoxious), to going to high school together (probably still thought I was obnoxious), spending our college years living, eating and drinking together and finally sharing our post-collegiate years obsessing over all things lovely and luxurious while living 264 miles apart. Our design obsession began to bloom around the same time in college when we began to worship Rachel Ashwell and her shabby chic ways. We have since graduated (but still adore R.A.) from the days of white walls, linen and pillows and are beginning to define our true sense of style. It is with that sentiment that I will begin to define a room that defines Mackenzie in her truest sense.

If you have been a reader of Mackenzie’s blog for five minutes or since inception, you will know that she has a slight to serious addiction to Palm Springs. What could be more fitting than designing Mackenzie’s office and design studio in her Palm Springs estate? Nothing, that’s what.  Here are the highlights of the Mackenzie inspired room:

Mackenzie purchased Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palm Estate she talked about here after her design career took off. Horray! Pack your bags, let’s go visit!



Frank Sinatra Twin Palm Estates

Mackenzie’s office is that small room on the left that overlooks the pool. She immediately got to work transforming it into the perfect office/design studio. This is what she did…

Mackenzie installed two bookcases opposite the window overlooking the pool to store all of her fabric, wallpaper samples and all of the design books she wrote.





Domino -- Rashida Jones House

The books are organized by color for vibrant pops.


Windsor Smith


In between the bookcases, she installed a floor to ceiling mirror with the hexagonal pattern painted the same almond color as the bookcases.



In between the bookcases and in front of the mirror, Mackenzie placed this sofa from Windsor Smith aptly named the “Chloe Sofa” after Mackenzie’s childhood dog.



For a touch of Hollywood regency glamour, Mackenzie installed these sconces on the inner sides of each bookcase so her two little girls (no boys allowed) could read their stories before dozing off to sleep on the pink sofa.




The one remaining wall without windows will be adorned with Kelly Wearstler’s alabaster trellis wallpaper from Schumacher. It has a soft sheen to it and continues to reflect the blue light bouncing off the pool. Kelly had just enough of the wallpaper lying around and sent it to Mackenzie as a thank you for their latest and greatest collaboration.




Along the wallpapered wall are Mackenzie’s favorite heirloom, Dorothy Draper dressers which were passed down to her husband, a relative of Dorothy Draper. You may have heard of him. Don Draper is the star of a little show called Mad Men and happens to be the love of Mackenzie’s life. (Sorry Brian, this is make believe)


Dorothy Draper Chests

On top of the dressers, Mackenzie displays her wedding and family photos of their vacations to Palm Springs along with these lamps:




And this albino peacock because why not:



When it comes to her desk, Mackenzie is a purist and keeps it clean with a standard white Parsons:





On top of which she places a lucite tray with this pattern from iomoi to store her cocktails:





She also keeps it simple with her chair and chooses a classic white Chippendale chair upholstered in a grey linen. She changes out her lumbar pillows depending on her mood.




Facing the desk are two Samantha scroll armchairs upholstered in this same grey linen but without the piping. You’ll have two orange and white chevron pillows supporting your back as you sink in for a design consultation with Mackenzie, the famed interior designer.








When your consultation is complete, Mackenzie will bid you adieu and wish you well on your trip back home. She feels sorry for you that you don’t live nearly as fabulous a life as she does. She’ll immediately go change into this swimmie, hop into her pool and sip on the drink named after her, a Mackenzitini.




Thanks to Lauren for her wonderful post! I would like to have this life immediately.
And I already know what the "Mackenzietini" would be. San Pellegrino Limonata & Absolute Vodka over crushed ice. Yummmmm!

You can visit Ms. Lauren at The Semi-Designed Life
She is also the creator of my former blog header and the new one I've debuted today!

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